Last updated 2026-07-24
TL;DR
You can list your Marriott timeshare with a licensed resale broker, sell it yourself, try Marriott's own resale program if your resort has one, or hand it back through a deed-back program. Most Marriott weeks resell for far less than purchase price, sometimes for $1. If you're still in your rescission window, cancel directly with the resort instead of selling.
How can I sell my Marriott timeshare?
You have four real paths: list it for resale (broker or by owner), use Marriott Vacation Club's own resale or transfer channels if your specific resort offers one, try a deed-back if Marriott or the HOA will take it back, or, if you just bought and you're still inside your rescission period, cancel the contract outright instead of trying to sell it. Marriott Vacation Club points and weeks do trade on the resale market, but the prices will probably surprise you. Buyers on sites like RedWeek and licensed timeshare resale brokers often see Marriott weeks list for a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, and some very low-demand weeks or older Marriott Vacation Club deeded properties list for $1 or the cost of transfer paperwork. That's not a typo. Developers sell these units retail for $20,000 to $50,000 or more, and the secondary market values them almost entirely on the annual maintenance fee obligation, not the original purchase price. Before you spend money on a resale listing or an exit company, check whether Marriott has a deed-back or "Owner Transitions" style program active for your resort. These programs come and go and eligibility rules change, so call Marriott Vacation Club owner services directly and ask what's currently offered for your specific contract. Don't assume the answer you got two years ago still applies. If you're weighing your options broadly, our guide on how to get out of a timeshare walks through rescission, resale, deed-back, and exit companies side by side.
How to get out of a timeshare (the four real exit paths)
There are four legitimate ways out of any timeshare contract, Marriott included: rescission during your state's cancellation window, a deed-back or surrender program, resale (even at a loss), or, in rare hardship cases, letting the resort foreclose rather than paying an exit company thousands of dollars for something you could do yourself. Rescission is fastest and free, but only if you're still inside the window. Every state sets its own rescission period for timeshare purchases, and it's short, sometimes just a matter of days from signing or from receiving the public offering statement. The Federal Trade Commission's consumer guidance on timeshares confirms that "many states have laws that allow you to cancel a timeshare contract within a certain number of days" and directs buyers to check their specific state's rule rather than relying on a generic number. Confirm your state's rescission window with your state attorney general's consumer protection office before you do anything else, because acting one day late usually means the window is gone for good. Deed-back means the resort or an affiliated program takes the deed back, usually for owners current on fees. Resale means you sell the ownership, at whatever the market will pay, which for most branded timeshares is far below what you paid. Foreclosure is not a strategy to choose, it's what happens if you stop paying and the resort forecloses on the deed, which damages your credit and doesn't erase fees already owed. Never treat missing payments as a shortcut; it isn't one, and both the FTC and state AG offices warn that stopping payment can trigger collections and credit damage even if you're mid-negotiation with an exit company.
How do you get out of a timeshare if you just bought it?
If you signed within the last few days to a couple weeks, check your rescission deadline immediately and send your cancellation notice in writing, by the method your contract specifies, before the window closes. Rescission law is state-specific and the clock usually starts the day you sign or the day you receive certain disclosure documents, whichever the statute specifies. Florida, for example, gives buyers a 10-day right to cancel under its timeshare statute, Florida Statutes Section 721.10, and that's one of the more commonly cited windows, but it is not universal [1]. Other states set different lengths and different starting triggers. Don't guess. Look up your specific state's timeshare or vacation ownership statute, or call your attorney general's consumer protection line and ask them to confirm the rule that applies to your contract. Write your cancellation letter, keep a copy, and send it by the method the contract requires (often certified mail with return receipt). Do this even if the resort's salesperson told you rescission would be handled automatically. Verbal promises from sales staff are not a substitute for a written, timely, documented cancellation. If your window has already closed, rescission isn't available anymore, and you move to the other three paths: deed-back, resale, or in a genuine hardship situation, working through the resort's own owner services on hardship options. Our timeshare cancellation page breaks down the mechanics of writing and sending a proper cancellation notice.
How to sell a timeshare (step by step)
Selling a timeshare means listing it honestly, pricing it near what similar units actually sold for (not what you paid), and closing through a licensed title or escrow company so the deed transfers cleanly and the HOA updates its records. Step one: find comparable sold listings, not asking prices, on resale marketplaces and in the American Resort Development Association's owner resources. Asking prices on timeshare resale sites are often wildly inflated because sellers list at their emotional attachment point, not market value. Actual closed sales for most non-luxury weeks run from $0 to a few thousand dollars, per widely cited resale market patterns tracked by resale brokers and reported in consumer press coverage of the secondary timeshare market. Step two: get a maintenance fee and special assessment history in writing from the HOA, because buyers will ask, and unresolved fee balances can kill a deal at closing. Step three: use a licensed timeshare resale broker or transfer company, one that charges only a commission on a completed sale, not an upfront "marketing fee." The FTC's guidance is direct here: be wary of any company that asks for money before it has sold anything, because that's the single most common feature of timeshare resale scams. Step four: close through a title company that specializes in timeshare transfers, so the deed records correctly and you get a recorded release from future maintenance fee liability. Skipping this step is how people end up still billed for fees on a timeshare they thought they sold. If a straight sale isn't working and you want to compare it against deed-back or exit company routes, see how do you get out of a timeshare for a side-by-side.
How to get rid of a timeshare if nobody wants to buy it
If your timeshare won't sell, even for $1, your remaining options are a deed-back or surrender program (if the resort offers one), donating it (rare and usually still requires you to cover a transfer fee), or continuing to pay and use it while you look for a buyer, which is often the most financially sane option people overlook. Many owners fixate on "getting rid of it" and forget that continuing to own and use a paid-off timeshare, while annoying, may cost less over five years than paying an exit company $3,000 to $6,500 (a range widely reported in state attorney general warnings about exit company fees) to do something you might accomplish yourself for free or for a title company's closing fee. Deed-back programs, sometimes called surrender or deedback programs, let you transfer the deed back to the resort or its affiliated nonprofit, usually only if your account is current and sometimes for a processing fee. Not every resort offers one, and Marriott's availability changes over time, so call and ask directly rather than assuming. Donation almost never works the way people hope. Charities generally don't want timeshares because they inherit the maintenance fee obligation, and "donation" companies that promise a tax write-off and a clean exit are a common scam pattern the FTC has flagged repeatedly. Get a second opinion from a real tax professional before assuming any timeshare donation produces a meaningful deduction. For a deeper comparison of deed-back eligibility and how it differs from resale, see how to get out of timeshare.
Are timeshares scams?
The timeshare product itself is legal in every US state, but the industry has a real and well-documented scam problem, concentrated in two places: high-pressure sales presentations that misstate resale value, and resale/exit scams that target owners who already regret buying. The FTC's consumer alert page on timeshares states plainly that timeshare resales are "a common target for scammers" and warns that legitimate resale companies don't charge big upfront fees. State attorneys general in Florida, Texas, and elsewhere have brought enforcement actions against timeshare exit companies for taking upfront payments (often $2,000 to $10,000) and then doing little or nothing to actually cancel the contract. So: is the original purchase a "scam"? Not legally, it's a disclosed contract, but the sales tactics used at many timeshare presentations (urgency, "today only" pricing, overstated resale value, understated true lifetime cost) draw legitimate consumer protection scrutiny and generate more complaints to state AG offices than almost any other consumer product category. Is the exit and resale side full of scams? Yes, meaningfully so, and that's the part owners need to be most careful navigating. Red flags for an exit scam: any company that asks for full payment before doing any work, guarantees a specific outcome or timeline, tells you to stop paying your maintenance fees or mortgage while they "work on it," or contacts you out of the blue claiming they have a buyer already lined up for your specific unit. If you hear any of those, stop and verify the company's standing with your state attorney general's office before sending money.
How much is a timeshare? (purchase price vs. resale value)
| Developer (new, retail) | $20,000 to $50,000+ | Includes sales commission, marketing costs baked into price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed resale broker | $0 to $5,000 | Priced near maintenance fee value, not developer price | |
| Owner-to-owner (RedWeek, etc.) | $1 to $3,000 | Highly variable by resort, season, points balance | |
| Deed-back / surrender | $0 (may include a processing fee) | Availability varies by resort and owner standing | The gap exists because developer pricing includes years of marketing, sales commissions (often 40 to 50 percent of the purchase price by some industry estimates), and the ongoing right to buy more points. None of that transfers with a resale purchase, so resale buyers are only paying for the usage right itself, discounted for the maintenance fee obligation they're taking on. This is also why owners get frustrated trying to sell: you're more than competing on price, you're competing against an entire secondary market that already knows the real value is a fraction of retail. |
New timeshare interests from major developers, including Marriott Vacation Club, commonly sell for $20,000 to $50,000 or more depending on unit size, season, and points allocation, according to industry pricing widely reported by consumer finance outlets and echoed in ARDA's own owner-facing materials. That's the retail price. The resale price is a different universe. | Purchase channel | Typical price range | Notes |
How much do timeshares cost every year? (maintenance fees and assessments)
Beyond the purchase price, timeshare owners pay annual maintenance fees that average around $1,000 to $1,200 per interval nationally, based on ARDA-affiliated industry survey data cited in consumer reporting, with fees for larger units or luxury resorts running $1,500 to $2,000 or more. These fees typically rise faster than general inflation, driven by rising insurance costs, storm damage repair (especially in coastal and Gulf resorts), and reserve fund contributions. On top of the annual fee, owners can get hit with special assessments, one-time charges for major repairs, storm damage, or reserve shortfalls, that can run anywhere from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars per owner depending on the scope of the damage. Post-hurricane special assessments at coastal resorts have run into the thousands of dollars per interval in some documented cases reported by owners and consumer press following major storms. This fee trajectory is exactly why resale value keeps falling: a buyer weighing a $2,000 resale purchase against a $1,200 annual fee for life is doing real math, and increasingly the math says walk away or pay almost nothing. If rising fees are your main motivation for exiting rather than buyer's remorse, our maintenance fees coverage (once published) digs into fee growth trends and what owners can realistically do about a fee they can't sell their way out of. If you're deciding between paying an exit company and building your own paperwork, that's exactly the gap our $149 one-time Timeshare Exit Kit is built for: a structured way to organize your contract, deadlines, and outreach yourself instead of paying a company thousands to send letters you could send. You can start at /exit-kit-builder.
How to sell timeshare without getting scammed
Never pay a large upfront fee to anyone who promises they'll sell your timeshare or cancel your contract. That single rule prevents most timeshare resale and exit scams, according to the FTC's own consumer guidance, which specifically warns that a legitimate resale company earns its money through commission on a completed sale, not through fees paid in advance. Verify before you sign anything: check the company's name plus "complaint" on your state attorney general's website, check the Better Business Bureau profile (understanding BBB accreditation isn't a guarantee, just a data point), and ask for references you can actually call. A company that resists giving you a straight answer about its fee structure is telling you something. Be skeptical of unsolicited contact. If someone calls claiming they have a "buyer already lined up" for your specific unit, and they just need an upfront fee to "process" the sale, that is close to a textbook resale scam pattern that state AG consumer alerts describe again and again. Use a licensed, bonded timeshare resale broker or transfer agent when possible, and always close through title/escrow so the deed transfer records properly. For a broader list of vetted approaches and questions to ask before hiring anyone, see timeshare exit companies and keep a running timeshare call list of who you've contacted, what they quoted, and what they promised in writing.
Should I sell, deed back, or just stop paying my Marriott timeshare?
Sell if you have a buyer or a broker who can list it at realistic market value and you're willing to accept it may go for very little or nothing. Deed back if Marriott or your resort HOA currently offers a surrender program and your account is in good standing. Never simply stop paying as a strategy, even though it's tempting. Stopping payment doesn't erase the debt, and it can trigger a deed-in-lieu or foreclosure process that damages your credit and may still leave you liable for fees accrued up to the point of foreclosure, depending on your state and contract terms. Foreclosure is a last-resort outcome, not a plan, and it should only happen because you genuinely can't pay, not because someone told you it's a clever exit strategy. If you inherited a Marriott timeshare and don't want it, you generally have the right to disclaim the inheritance under your state's probate law before you accept the deed, which avoids taking on the obligation at all. The Uniform Disclaimer of Property Interests Act, adopted in some form by many states, sets out how a qualified disclaimer works, and the IRS also recognizes qualified disclaimers for federal purposes under 26 U.S.C. Section 2518, so it's worth confirming the timing rules with a probate attorney before you touch the property or pay any fee on it [2]. Once you've accepted an inherited timeshare (by using it, paying fees on it, or formally accepting the estate distribution), you're on the hook the same as any other owner, and your options narrow to sell, deed-back, or continued ownership. When in doubt, call Marriott Vacation Club owner services directly and ask what surrender or resale support they currently offer for your exact contract type. Programs change, and the person on the phone can tell you today's answer faster than any article can.
Frequently asked questions
How can I sell my Marriott timeshare?
List it with a licensed resale broker or on an owner marketplace like RedWeek, ask Marriott Vacation Club owner services if a deed-back or transfer program currently applies to your contract, and price it near recent actual sold listings, not the price you paid. Close through a title company that handles timeshare deed transfers so the HOA record updates correctly.
How do I get out of a timeshare I no longer want?
Check your state's rescission deadline first if you recently purchased; if that's passed, look into a deed-back or surrender program through the resort, or list it for resale even at low or no price. Never pay large upfront fees to an exit company, and never simply stop paying as a strategy, per FTC guidance.
How much is a Marriott timeshare worth on resale?
Resale values for Marriott Vacation Club interests typically run from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand, far below the $20,000 to $50,000+ developer retail price, because resale buyers are mainly paying for the annual maintenance fee obligation, not the brand. Some low-demand weeks resell for $1 or list at no cost beyond transfer fees.
Are timeshares scams?
The timeshare product itself is a legal, disclosed contract, but sales presentations often use high-pressure tactics and overstate resale value. The bigger scam risk is on the exit and resale side: the FTC warns that timeshare resales are "a common target for scammers," especially companies charging large upfront fees.
How much do timeshares cost per year in maintenance fees?
Average annual maintenance fees run roughly $1,000 to $1,200 per interval industry-wide, based on ARDA-affiliated survey data, with larger units and luxury resorts running $1,500 to $2,000 or more. Fees typically rise faster than general inflation, and special assessments after storms or major repairs can add hundreds to thousands more.
Can I cancel my Marriott timeshare contract if I just signed?
Possibly, if you're still within your state's rescission window, which is short, often just days from signing. Confirm your specific state's rule with your state attorney general's office or the statute itself, then send a written cancellation notice by the method your contract requires before the deadline passes.
Does Marriott have a program to take back my timeshare?
Marriott Vacation Club has offered deed-back or surrender-style programs at various points, but availability and eligibility change and aren't guaranteed across every resort or contract type. Call Marriott owner services directly and ask what's currently offered for your specific deed or points contract.
What happens if I just stop paying my timeshare maintenance fees?
The resort can pursue collections, report delinquency to credit bureaus, and eventually foreclose or pursue a deed-in-lieu process, which damages your credit and may not fully release you from fees already owed. This is not a recommended exit strategy; it's what happens when there's no other option left.
Is it legal for a company to charge me upfront to sell or cancel my timeshare?
It's not automatically illegal, but the FTC and multiple state attorneys general warn that large upfront fees are the single biggest red flag for timeshare resale and exit scams. Legitimate resale brokers typically earn a commission only after a completed sale, not a fee before any work is done.
How do I sell a timeshare I inherited?
If you haven't formally accepted the inheritance, check whether your state's probate law lets you disclaim it, which avoids taking on the deed and its fee obligations entirely; federal tax law recognizes a qualified disclaimer under 26 U.S.C. Section 2518. If you've already accepted it, you can sell, pursue deed-back, or continue ownership just like any other owner.
What's the difference between a timeshare deed-back and a resale?
A deed-back means the resort or an affiliated program takes the deed back directly from you, often at no sale price, sometimes for a processing fee, and only if your account is current. A resale means you sell the ownership to another buyer through a broker or marketplace, at whatever price the market supports.
Can I get a refund if I feel scammed by a timeshare exit company?
Possibly, depending on your state and the company's conduct; file a complaint with your state attorney general's consumer protection office and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov, and check whether you paid by credit card, since card issuers sometimes allow chargebacks for undelivered services.
Sources
- Florida Statutes Section 721.10, Cancellation of contract: Florida law provides a specific rescission period for timeshare purchases under its vacation and timeshare plan statute, Chapter 721.
- 26 U.S.C. Section 2518, Disclaimers: Federal tax law recognizes a qualified disclaimer of an inherited interest, including inherited property like a timeshare, if made within the statutory time limit.
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Explanation of timeshare ownership structures and financial obligations like maintenance fees
- Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation: State regulatory oversight of timeshare resale and exit companies operating in Florida, where many Marriott resorts are located
- Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute (15 U.S.C. § 6101): Federal Telemarketing and Consumer Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act provisions applicable to timeshare exit scams